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The 2017 Somerset Patriots…So Far

With the addition of former major-leaguer Logan Darnell on Wednesday, the Somerset Patriots now have 20 players officially under contract for the 2017 season. If my past few years on the beat are any indication, there are likely agreements in place with another half dozen or so, with some other big leaguers being tucked away until just prior to spring training.

Here’s some quick thoughts on each player, in the order they signed…

P Jon Hunton — The 14-year veteran will be entering his fifth full season with the Patriots, and he unquestionably will have the ninth inning in 2017. I’m a bit curious, however, to see just how often that’ll happen, especially early in the year. Although he’s coming off what is, for him at least, somewhat of a down year (0-3, 3.75, 37 saves) in which he wasn’t quite as dominant as he had been in seasons past and is now 34 years old, you’ll likely see the Atlantic League’s all-time saves leader get the majority of the chances as per usual. However, he might not have quite the same workload as in years past.

P Rick Teasley — Teasley is a bit of a wild card, but is a lefty, which is a valuable commodity. He’ll be 26 by Opening Day, and is coming off a tough year statistically with the Frontier League’s Southern Illinois Miners, for whom he’d had two prior solid years after a stay in the Rays system. However, he’s won two consecutive championships in the Australian Baseball League — that’s where Scott Kelly played this winter — and is likely competing for a spot in the back end of the rotation once spring rolls around.

P Seth Webster — Webster, 27, is another relatively inexperienced starter who’ll be another option towards the back of Brett Jodie’s rotation. He’s been relatively consistent over the course of his career, and is said to utilize a unique arm angle from the right side with a K/BB ratio of roughly 5 to 1.

OF Carlos Guzman — Guzman has made no secret that this will be his last season, and will be another player whose usage will be interesting to monitor early on. His first year in Somerset was a solid one after struggling early — .264/12/58 — and at times, he was the Patriots’ hottest hitter. However, he doesn’t seem to figure into the picture of the starting outfield, with Aharon Eggleston, Jerry Sands and a player yet to be revealed likely comprising that trio. While Guzman inarguably struggled at times in right field, he largely played an above average third base, but would seem to have been supplanted there by Zach Lutz. He could figure in as a utility player who sees time at designated hitter when Bryan LaHair is at first base.

INF Bryan LaHair — LaHair has been lauded by several teammates from last season about his positive attitude and how he embraced joining Somerset, and could realistically receive interest from either Mexico or Triple-A teams as a big bat after showing he could stay healthy for a full year. Of his 123 games with Somerset last year, he played 63 in the field, and a similar split this year seems likely. The 34-year-old will be a force in the middle of the lineup for as long as he’s around.

INF Alfredo Rodriguez — Rodriguez will be given an opportunity to compete for the starting shortstop job, one that Scott Kelly would presumably have to lose, this spring. A natural shortstop, the 26-year-old had played multiple infield spots while with the Brewers system before being used exclusively in the six spot over the last two years with Joliet in the Frontier League. Should Kelly keep the job, Rodriguez would be both willing and able to slide into a utility infield role.

OF/INF Olmo Rosario — I’m not sure there’s a bigger wild card on the roster than Rosario, who, at 36 years old, is likely looking to play every day and is perhaps being paid that way as well. Rosario can play EVERYWHERE, but has most recently been used as a third baseman and corner outfielder. He’s a career .312 hitter who gives Jodie the option of DH’ing him, but putting him in the field as well if a regular needs a day off. However, he could also easily slide in as one of those regulars given his versatility plus his bat.

C Yovan Gonzalez — I’d be surprised if Gonzalez wasn’t the Opening Day catcher. Then again, that he wasn’t behind the plate for the biggest game of the season last year sure opened some eyes, so who knows. The fiery Puerto Rico native threw out 26% of attempted basestealers last season, and batted .264 with two home runs and 30 RBI in 80 games. This year, he’ll form a tandem with Adam Donachie, who is also used to a “number one” workload but is a year removed from playing.

P Kyler Newby — Unquestionably, Newby’s greatest value to the team is out of the bullpen, where he’ll look to slot into a more consistent (likely) eighth inning role this season. However, the fourth-year Patriot has never made a secret of the fact that he wants to at least try to become a starter in order to further his career. It’s hard to see the latter happening — certainly not from an ability standpoint, but with how hard it would be to replace his 3.01 ERA over the last three seasons as a reliever — although it seems possible he could see the occasional spot start, which he has not yet done in a Patriots uniform.

OF/INF Jerry Sands — Sands is less than a calendar year removed from his last stint in the big leagues — he played in 24 games for the White Sox last season after previous stays with the Dodgers, Rays and Indians — and has been a first baseman and corner outfielder over the course of his 10-year career. Sands and LaHair could form an interesting, potent platoon at first, with Sands also likely seeing some time in the outfield and perhaps at DH.

P Matt Zielinski — Zielinski would seem to have a strong chance to take the ball on Opening Day for Somerset. The 29-year-old southpaw was excellent in both 2014 and 2015 for the Patriots before spending all of last year overseas, but before you pencil him in for April 21, remember that he was also somehow relegated to bullpen duty at several points in a 2014 campaign in which he was named as the Left-Handed Pitcher on the league’s postseason All-Star team. However, it would seem those times are behind him, especially after a 2015 campaign in which he was relied on heavily every fifth day.

OF Aharon Eggleston — Similar to Zielinski, you’d think on paper that Eggleston has unquestionably earned a starting spot on Opening Day, but he’s found himself as the odd man out on several occasions over what will now be a five-year tenure in Somerset as well. “Eggy” is a three-time All-Star who’s coming off of arguably his best season in Bridgewater both at the plate and in the field, and almost surely will be the team’s regular left fielder…I think.

INF Scott Kelly — Kelly will be entering his fourth year as a pro, as well as with Somerset, but finally wore a different uniform for the first time when he headed over to Australia to play for Canberry this winter. He was named a mid-season All-Star over there, and continued to build off the momentum of last year in Somerset, where he posted career highs in nearly every major statistical category while also authoring a memorable postseason moment with his Game 1 walk-off homer. Kelly’s speed and work ethic make him irreplaceable on the roster, but he’ll certainly have challengers for what still seems to be his spot in the Opening Day lineup.

C Adam Donachie — Donachie’s return was a stunning one, and will hopefully provide not only some stability behind the plate, but in the clubhouse as well. Now 33, Donachie’s final season to date in 2015 was badly hampered by a throwing shoulder that needed to be surgically repaired. He hasn’t caught fewer than 64 games in his four seasons in Somerset, but as his role as a player/coach evolves, it’s possible Gonzalez will get the bulk of the workload. Also worth keeping in mind is that while as of yet a third catcher has yet to be added to the roster, the Patriots almost always have three backstops in camp.

INF Zach Lutz — The former Met seems slotted for third base this season, and is hoping to rebound from an abysmal year in which he was limited to just 16 games while with the Miami Marlins’ Triple-A squad thanks to injury. Lutz, 30, is a career .279 hitter, and has posted double-digit home runs every full season he’s played.

INF Tyler Bortnick — Bortnick, 29, would seem to make sense to slot in as the team’s every day second baseman, although he also saw extensive time at third base during his only prior Atlantic League stint while with the Lancaster Barnstormers in 2015. He spent last year between Double-A and Triple-A in the Detroit Tigers system and should provide some infield versatility, if perhaps not the speed he once did earlier in his career.

OF Justin Pacchioli — Pacchioli has only one year of pro ball experience under his belt — he played one year in Low-A for the Padres organization after they drafted him in the 10th round in 2015 — but took off all of last season to spend time with his ailing mother. Playing in Somerset allows the Pennsylvania native to be closer to home, but how he’ll fare after both a year away and with only limited experience will be something to watch. He is, almost surely, competing for a reserve outfielder role.

OF Chris Grayson — Grayson has a strong chance to be the team’s fourth outfielder given his versatility and track record. A former Texas Rangers prospect who reached Double-A over the course of four years in their system, he’s spent the past two seasons in the American Association and Frontier League. He’s speedy career .254 hitter with a little pop who can play all three outfield spots and would seem to provide a solid insurance policy if Sands or the club’s projected center fielder gets signed.

P Lucas Irvine — Irvine projects as a top of the rotation starter for Somerset, and could conceivably be in the discussion to get the ball on Opening Day. The 28-year-old right-hander was an Atlantic League All-Star in 2015 before making the difficult late-season decision to leave to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, for whom he also advanced as high as Triple-A with last season. He also pitched in Mexico, and is coming off a very winter ball strong stay in Venezuela.

P Logan Darnell — Darnell is a big, lefty starter with seven games of big league experience with the Twins in 2014. He hasn’t pitched below Triple-A since 2013, but has had command issues at various times throughout his career. Darnell would tentatively look to be a middle of the rotation arm in Somerset — although he could easily be higher — and could attract the eye of scouts if he’s able to cut down on his walks.

About Mike Ashmore

A new resident of Raritan after many years in Three Bridges, Mike Ashmore is a 2001 graduate of Hunterdon Central Regional High School who began his career covering professional sports two years later. Since then, he's covered countless other teams and events ranging from the Stanley Cup Final, World Series, Daytona 500, NFL, UFC and many others as a freelancer working in the area. Mike is now in his fourth season of covering the Somerset Patriots for MyCentralJersey.com, and 14th season overall.